Baby bottle tether

ABSTRACT

A tether for securing a baby bottle or toy to a structure such as a highchair or car seat for the baby. The tether has an elongated member with a flexible portion and having opposed ends with a securing device at each of the opposed ends. Both of the securing devices are straps that have a fastening system such as a hook and loop system such that the securing devices can form a loop of a desired size to encircle an item, such as a baby bottle or a toy and structure to secure the tether to both the item and the structure. As such, the baby bottle or toy can be secured to a structure such as a highchair or car seat and if dropped, the item will be restrained so as to not contact the floor and become contaminated.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a convenient device for use with aninfant, and, more particularly, to a flexible device used to secure anitem, such as a baby bottle, to a structure such as a highchair or carseat to tether that item to the structure and limit the range ofmovement of that item.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is often important to tether some item to a structure to prevent thatitem, for example, from being dropped on the floor, or otherwise movingbeyond a limited distance from that structure. One typical example is inthe care of infants where the infant may have access to a baby bottlefor obtaining food as is desired. There is, however, a problem in thatthe infant may well drop the bottle onto the floor and it is thereforenecessary for the child care giver to pick up the bottle and thoroughlyclean it before handing it back to the baby.

Unfortunately, the dropping of a bottle by a baby can become often veryrepetitive and ultimately becomes a burden to the care provider who istaken away from other activities to continue to pick up and clean thebaby bottle.

Typically, the problem takes place when the baby is in a highchair,however, other locations can be involved, such as in an automobile wherethe baby is contained within a car seat. In such instant, even theretrieval of the bottle can be a problem since the bottle may ultimatelyrest in an inconvenient location after having been dropped.

Some devices have been disclosed as tethers for baby bottles or toys andone is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,119, however, that device does nothave a flexible or stretchable nature and the means of attachment to thebaby bottle is not particularly convenient or secure.

Another type of baby bottle tether is shown and described in U.S. Pub.2004/0079843, however, that device is also not longitudinallystretchable and the device requires some fitting on the baby bottle tobe attached thereto.

Lastly, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,220 of Pollock et al, there is arestraining device that has only one convenient securing device, thatis, an end that has an adjustable loop while the securing device at theother end cannot be adjusted for differing size objects.

It would, therefore, be desirable to have a device that would allow thecare provider to easily and convenient tether a baby bottle or otheritem to a structure proximate to the baby, such as the highchair or carseat, and thereby prevent the bottle from hitting the floor or rollingto some inconvenient location.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a tether that can be usedto secure an item to a structure and is particularly useful to secure ababy bottle or toy to a structure such as a highchair or car seat.

The tether comprises an elongated, flexible member that can be expandedor stretched from its shortened, at rest length to a stretched outlength. In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible member has a pre-coiledportion that can be stretched and relaxed and, when released from astretching force, the pre-coiled portion has a memory that returns it toits shortened, at rest length. Preferably, the pre-coiled portion issimilar to a bungee cord that can be stretched out by the application ofa force and which then returns to its original “at rest” length whenthat force has been removed.

At each of the opposed ends of the flexible member, there is a securingmeans that allows the flexible member to be easily and convenientlysecured to an item or structure. The securing means comprises a strapthat can be used to encircle the item or structure and be closed to forma loop around that item or structure. The size of the closed loop can beeasily established by the user, that is, one end of the strap is securedthrough the use of a securing means to another portion of the strap toform the closed loop.

As such, the size of the loop can easily be established by the userdepending upon where along the portion of the strap the end of the strapis affixed. Conveniently, that securing means can be a hook and loopsystem, such as is available under the trademark Velcro so the user cansimply use the hook and loop system to size the loop according todesires. When the item is a baby bottle, the loop can be sized to befairly snug around the bottle to prevent the bottle from falling out ofthe loop, however, where the structure is a highchair, the loop may belooser encircling one of the components of that highchair. Where thehook and loop system is utilized, the components may be located at leastpartially along the length of the strap or at least substantiallytherealong.

As one of the advantages over the aforedescribed prior art, the presenttether has the ability of being easily secured to either the item or thestructure since the securing means is the same at both ends of thetether and the loop that is formed at those ends can be of anyparticular size needed to carry out the securing of the tether to theitem or structure.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more readily apparent during the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the drawings herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The FIGURE is a perspective view of a tether constructed accordance withthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the FIGURE, there is shown a tether 10 constructed inaccordance with the present invention. As can be seen, the tether 10comprises an elongated, flexible portion 12 and a straight portion 14.The flexible portion 12 is a pre-coiled member that can be stretched outand retracted by a force to extend the flexible portion 12 from itsshortened, at rest, length as shown and a stretched out length. By thepresence of a memory, when the force stretches the flexible portion 12outwardly, the flexible member 12 will be lengthened, and will thenretract to its shortened, at rest, position when the force is removed.

As can be seen in the exemplary embodiment, the flexible portion 12 andthe straight portion 14 are about equal in length, however, the flexibleportion 12 can be of lesser or greater length as that shown in theFIGURE, to the extent that the flexible member 12 can actually take upthe entire length of the tether 10.

The tether 10 has, at each of its opposed ends, a securing means in theform of straps 16. The straps 16 both are the same and include a hookand loop fastening system 18 along the length of the straps so that, forexample, an end 20 of a strap 16 can be formed into a loop and securedto that portion of the strap 16 itself to provide that loop. The size ofthe loop can be determined by the user to the appropriate size to fitthe situation for the particular item or structure to which the tether10 is secured.

In the embodiment of the FIGURE, the straps 16 are affixed to theflexible portion 12 and straight portion 14 by loops 22 where an end ofeach portion 12, 14 is looped over a strap 16 and secured to itselfeither by welding or by a suitable adhesive, however other means ofsecuring the flexible portion 12 and straight portion 14 can certainlybe utilized.

As such, the tether 12 can be readily secured between an item, such as ababy bottle 24 and a structure, such as the arm of a highchair or carseat to secure the baby bottle 24 or a toy to that structure. As can beappreciated, by properly determining the stretched out length of theflexible portion 12 and the straight portion 14, if the baby drops thebaby bottle 24 from a highchair, the that overall stretched length ofthe tether 10 can prevent the bottle 24 from reaching the floor. Thecare provider can then simply retract the bottle 24 and return it to thebaby knowing that the bottle 24 did not contact the floor and becomecontaminated.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations andmodifications which can be made to the tether and use thereof which willresult in an improved tether, yet all of which will fall within thescope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the followingclaims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

1. A tether for securing an item to a structure, the tether comprising aelongated member having opposed ends and having a flexible portion, aflexible securing means located at each end of the elongated member,each of the flexible securing means comprising a strap adapted toencircle a structure and form a variable size loop to retain one end ofthe elongated member to an item and the other end to a structure.
 2. Thetether of claim 1 wherein the flexible portion of the elongated memberis pre-coiled having a shortened, at rest length and a stretched outlength.
 3. The tether of claim 2 wherein the flexible portion has amemory that tends to return the flexible portion to the shortened, atrest length.
 4. The tether of claim 1 wherein the flexible securingmeans comprises a strap having an attachment means thereon and the loopis formed by attaching one end of the strap to another portion of thestrap.
 5. The tether of claim 4 wherein the attachment means comprises ahook and loop system located thereon at least partially along its lengthfor forming the variable size loop.
 6. The tether of claim 5 wherein thehook and loop system is located substantially along the length of theflexible securing means.
 7. A method of securing an item to a structure,the method comprising the steps of: providing an elongated member havingflexible portion and a flexible securing means located at each endthereon, the flexible securing means comprising a strap adapted to beformed into a loop of varying size, securing one of the flexiblesecuring means to an item by forming a loop in the strap encircling theitem and sized to retain the item snugly within the loop, securing theother of the flexible securing means to a structure by forming a loop inthe strap encircling the structure.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein thestep of securing one of the flexible securing means to an item comprisesforming a loop in the strap and securing the strap to itself byattaching means.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of securingone of the flexible securing means to an item comprises using a hook andloop attaching means.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the steps ofsecuring one and another end of the flexible securing means comprisesforming a loop in each of the flexible securing means to encircle theitem and the structure.
 11. The method of claim 7 wherein the step ofproviding an elongated member comprises providing an elongated memberhaving a pre-coiled flexible portion that has a shortened, at restlength and a stretched out length.
 12. The method of claim 11 whereinthe step of providing a pre-coiled flexible portion comprises providinga pre-coiled flexible portion that is biased toward its shortened, atrest length.
 13. A combination comprising: a structure; an item; aflexible member having opposed ends, each of the opposed ends having asecuring means comprising a strap adapted to be formed into a loop ofvarying size, one of the straps having a loop encircling the item andthe other of the straps having a loop encircling the structure.
 14. Thecombination of claim 13 wherein the structure is a baby highchair or ababy car seat.
 15. The combination of claim 13 wherein the item is ababy bottle or baby toy.
 16. The combination of claim 13 wherein thesecuring means comprises a strap having an attachment means thereon andthe loop is formed by attaching one end of the strap to another portionof the strap.
 17. The combination of claim 16 wherein the attachmentmeans comprises a hook and loop system located thereon at leastpartially along its length for forming the variable size loop
 18. Thecombination of claim 17 wherein the hook and loop system is locatedsubstantially along the length of the securing means
 19. The combinationof claim 13 wherein the flexible member has a pre-coiled flexibleportion that has a shortened, at rest length and a stretched out length.20. The combination of claim 19 wherein the pre-coiled flexible portionis biased toward its shortened, at rest length.